UltimateAVmag.com: Rives Audio

Rives Audio is repeating a demonstration that was a hit at last year's show in Los Angeles. Two rooms are set up with near identical systems. One room is completely untreated, the other uses a variety of acoustical treatment devices plus electronic equalization of the bass (using two Rives Sub-PARCs and extra amps to support the equalizers). The speakers in both rooms are Talon Thunderhawks ($25,000/pair), the amplifier the VAC Alpha Integrated ($10,000, an all-tube design with 100Wpc), and the CD player the Wadia 580i ($9450).

Running such an experiment involves an intimidating number of variables: playback levels, the synchronization of the program material so that when you shift rooms you are not listening to an entirely different piece of music, , the number of listeners in each room, and the seating position of the listener. So when I say that I wasn't sure which room I liked the best overall, except perhaps in the bass, that's only a reflection on the length of time it takes to do such a comparison. I hope to check it out again tomorrow, if there's time.

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Reader Comments

Posted Sun May13, 2007, 5:27 PM — By Tom Norton

OK. I went back again on the last day of the show. The treated room did definitely sound better overall, with more controlled bass and a more open, less congested midrange. Only in the high treble did I marginally prefer the untreated space. The system sounded just a little more open and airy there--perhaps a hint that it needed to trade off a bit of its absorption for a little more diffusion.

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